Turkish troops penetrate 30 Km into Iraqi territory

(IraqiNews) A Peshmerga Commander said, on Monday, that Turkish troops had penetrated 30 kilometers into the Iraqi territory, while indicated that seven areas in northern Iraq witnessed Turkish air raids and ground operations.

Al-Araby newspaper quoted Lt. Col. Dilshad Zebari as saying that the areas of Sidkan, Souran, Khawakurk, Benkurd, Qandil mountain, in addition to the outskirts of Emadiyah and Zakho have witnessed several Turkish air and ground operations.

Also, occasional artillery shelling was carried out on these areas, he added. Ground Turkish troops penetrated 30 kilometers into the Iraqi territory and launched offensives against prominent members of the PKK.

Furthermore, Zebari explained that the areas that witnessed Turkish operations does not have any Peshmerga or Asayish members. The operations involved a number of helicopters and fighter jets, and are accompanied by artillery shelling, he mentioned.

These operations are one of the largest Turkish operations in northern Iraq since the winter of 2018, Zebari said. So far, the process is clean, because it did not cause any civilian deaths, despite the existence of material losses.